Down Under, Down Under
by Amanda Halliwell
Summary: Harry, Ron and Hermione are sent to a school in New Zealand after it becomes to dangerous to remain in England.what horrors will await them at Rimutaka Acadmey for Witches and Wizards. What do Permenent Locking Charms have to do with it?
1. Default Chapter

Down Under, Down Under

Prologue

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in Albus Dumbledore's Office, with the wizard they trusted. The Wizarding World was at war and the trio were in more danger than even they could comprehend.

"I suppose you three are wondering why you are here," Albus Dumbledore said gravely, and then looked at the three. Harry was laid back in his chair; Ron had become intensely interested in his fingernails. Hermione however was giving Dumbledore her full attention.

"Yeah I wondered that," Harry said loudly, the portraits all began watching in case Harry started shouting.

"The war rages on, in England, things are not safe now. In turn, the Order of the Phoenix and myself have decided it is best for you to be sent to another school, known as Rimutaka Academy for Witches and Wizards," Dumbledore told the three, looking directly into their eyes.

"I've heard of that! It's a school in New Zealand isn't it?" Hermione exclaimed loudly.

"Yes, down under Australia in fact. You will be arriving at the ferry where most of the students will be gathering to board the train to the school. They too have recently had a invasion at their school, but theirs is such that the Dark Wizard they all fear isn't after you Harry," Dumbledore explained calmly, Ron's head snapped up immediately.

"Where _is _the school?" Ron asked curiously.

"The schools never divulge information on where their locations are. All I know is that the school is floating above the Southern Alps—a bunch of mountains in the South Island of the country. I also know that it is winter all year round there. Certainly other parts of the country have all four season as we do, but because they are in mountains of that altitude the snow is almost impossible to miss," Albus Dumbledore explained calmly, "So I'm going to give you some background information on the school before I send you to it through the Floo Network, where you will arrive in the Ferry section where students are preparing to take the train."

"I hear they've got two races, Maori and Pakeha right?" Hermione asked, "and two main languages."

"Yes, but they're going to be really laid back and I want you to blend in as well as you possibly can," Albus Dumbledore told them, then led them to the fireplace, "so now you've got to behave yourselves and try not to attract to much attention."

The trio all gathered their Floo Powder for the trip, holding onto their trunks as they each stepped through the fireplace and prepared to go to the Ferry, where they would have to follow some students so they could board the train to Rimutaka Academy for Witches and Wizards.

**Yah! The First Chapter is complete, imagine that it only took me five minutes to write! **


	2. The train ride to Rimutaka Castle

Down Under, Down Under

_The Train Ride to Rimutaka Castle _

Harry, Ron and Hermione walked through the Ferry ports where all the big boats were. They were constantly dragging their trunks behind them, Rons Owl making one heck of a racket and attracting looks from muggles who had never seen owls before. They finally got to the train after following a numerous amount of people around and managed to walk through an invisible barrier that was hidden behind the ticket booth in the Ports.

The trio got onto the train and put their luggage with the rest of the student's luggage, then headed down the corridor to look for a compartment to sit in. Suddenly they heard a loud explosion of noises, shouting, screaming, and then a person ran past them followed by another two. A compartment door slid open, then closed with a loud bang, curses and swearing could be heard by some of the compartments next to it. Harry, Ron and Hermione continued down the corridor and narrowly missed getting hit on the head by a paper ball.

They opened a compartment door and found it mostly empty; many people had in fact chosen to bypass this compartment although they could not see why. There were three girls sat quietly staring up at the new students with surprise in their eyes. Two of the girls had ginger hair but one had brown eyes and the other a disturbing shade of silver that gave her a mischievous look to her. The third girl was reading, _A History of Rimutaka Academy _trying very hard to ignore the other two sat across from her. She had brown hair and blue eyes which slid quickly down the pages of her book.

"Mind if we join you" Ron asked staring at the girl with silver eyes. It freaked him out somewhat but he couldn't take his eyes off them.

"No we don't mind," The ginger haired girls said in one voice.

"Great!" Ron replied happily then ushered Harry and Hermione in to take a seat, "I'm Ron, this is Hermione and that's Harry," Ron said introducing themselves.

"Absolutely brilliant," the silver eyed girl replied, "I'm Jay Black and that's Zeta Curtis, the one reading is Head Girl and known as Faye Barraclough."

"Okay then," Ron replied shrugging, then looked at his two friends.

"So what's the Academy like," Hermione asked making the mistake of asking these two girls that question.

Jay's eyes lit up and launched into a story about the school, "Oh our school's really, really cool cause we have a glass elevator that takes us all the way up to our school that floats above the mountain, and the first years have to climb up the mountain."

The trio began to look worried as she continued her story, "and then it usually takes a couple of weeks to reach the top of the mountain so the sorting ceremony takes place a week into the term. Once you get there you're sorted by smelly sorting socks which aren't cared for by the teachers because they get worn by so many students with smelly feet." Jay paused to take a breath.

"No, no, that's not what happens," Zeta interrupted rolling her eyes, "the school doesn't have a glass elevator at all. It has amazing flying elephants that take us up to the Qudditch Pitch where we cloud hop into the school grounds and then we bounce all the way into the Great Hall. The first years have to fly their own hot air balloons up the mountains."

"and the Sorting Socks once they're on you're feet start eating away at you're feet, and the teachers have to struggle to take them off and by that time half your feet are gone and you have to go to the hospital wing to get you're feet reattached which is why we have our feet now." Jay explained all in one breathe.

"That's not what I read," Hermione whispered frightened.

Harry and Ron proceeded to look worried when Faye spoke up, "There is no glass elevator and no flying elephants and definitely no feet eating smelly sorting socks. Instead we take Pegasus' up to the floating castle and the first years have to fly up in hot air balloons. They just like scaring newcomers."

Once again the compartment door slid open and Draco Malfoy, appeared. Once again the story was repeated to Malfoy who showed not even the slightest amount of worry about what could happen to him when he reached the school.

"What're you doing here Malfoy?" Harry snarled.

"None of your business Potter," Malfoy countered, "I unlike you know all about this school and have been sent here for reasons beyond your comprehension."

An argument of mammoth proportions happened directly after that was exchanged when Jay decided she'd had enough of their fighting and chained them to herself, using magical handcuffs. Jay then proceeded to explain all of her deeds about how she'd managed to turn the school into a three ring circus. All due to the fact because she and Zeta had got bored one day and decided they needed extra entertainment.

Meanwhile, Zeta had her wand out and was apparently charming the compartment door. Faye approaching looked worried when Orian walked through the closed door after the charm had obviously been completed.

"We're about to arrive in Rimutaka," He announced readily, "So you might want to let them go before Mr Granger decides to deduct points from Rata House."

"But school hasn't started yet!" Jay whined at Orian. Meanwhile Faye was busy unlocking the two boys while a frustrated Hermione watched.

After the two boys were released from their hold they immediately went to opposite sides of the compartment, then the train came to a halt and they had finally arrived at the Wizarding Village where they would be getting into their carriages and floating up to the school.

**All about the train. Lovely. I had so much fun writing the second chapter in just as much minutes as the first one! **


	3. The Sorting Ceremony

Down Under, Down Under

**Yes reviewers I am from New Zealand! Lovely guesses ain't there sometimes? I thought it would be amusing if I put me and my friends—all of whom love Harry Potter into a fan fiction for Harry Potter. It saves time waiting for the Sixth Book, I assure you. I also know this is definitely NOT going to happen in the seventh! **

_The Sorting Ceremony _

Faye exited the train threatening Zeta and Jay to behave themselves or else she'd put them in detention, closely followed by the trio and Draco Malfoy. As Faye had predicted, there were Pegasus' waiting for them carrying beautiful white carriages. Pegasus' looked much like horses, the only difference was unlike the unicorn that just had a horn, and they only had wings, beautiful white wings. The seven of them, including Malfoy, found a carriage together, Malfoy only following because somehow Jay had managed to chain him to her arm once again, unnoticed by Faye and Hermione.

With a sudden lurch, the carriages were pulled into action and launched into the air, dangling dangerously behind the Pegasus'. Hermione screamed and held on to the side where the window was, Ron was holding his stomach as though he was about to throw up. Harry however, felt it was much like the ride he'd taken on the Theastrals but bumpier, and remembered vaguely that he had never been on an aeroplane, the Dursleys always leaving him at home.

"Isn't this fun!" Exclaimed Jay happily, "Oooh it's snowing too! We're going to have some air turbulence!"

"Turbulence? Some turbulence?" Hermione gasped, "We're dangling from Pegasus' and you're saying we _might _have some turbulence?"

"Don't worry there is a charm on the carriages to ensure they don't fall out of the sky—although sometimes the charms _can _backfire, once or twice carriages have dislodged from their Pegasus'," Faye told them knowingly, "but oh well. It'll be interesting to see where you four get sorted. Mind you don't get sorted into our third house Kakariki, there's not a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Kakariki!"

"You mean it's like the Slytherin House at our old school?" Harry asked curiously, "What other houses are there?"

"There are three houses," Faye told Harry calmly, "one is known as Rata, for the bold and the brave, daring. We're powerful people with intelligence. Then there is Kowhai, strictly for intelligent people. Knowledgeable as such, but it also takes people with good qualities, and everything. Kakariki however likes those with ambition and pure-blood magic, so that's why these two idiots were sorted into Rata." Faye said indicating her friends, "Though you'll be stuck to find a spell they can't do."

"You notice there's a mountain troll outside my window," Zeta said looking outside, "he doesn't seem too happy."

"There is no mountain troll outside our window," Faye said annoyed, "stop trying to scare the new exchange students with your wild stories. Mountain trolls hardly come near the school, they may attack muggle climbers once in a while, but that's the extent of it."

Harry, Ron and Hermione all let out an enormous sigh of relief when the carriage came to a sudden halt.

It was then they got their first glimpse of the castle where they would be spending the school year—their _Seventh _year of education would be taking place in this castle and they would have to get used to it and it's inhabitants quickly. The castle looked much like Hogwarts, the only difference was that it was made out of marble and it was floating on _clouds _above the mountains. The carriages had parked themselves on a concrete bridge leading up to the castle.

Today the sky was bright blue and it wasn't snowing seeing as they were high up above the clouds rather than where they were when they were riding in the carriages. The trio, plus their new friends, and Draco (who was still attached to Jay though they hadn't been noticed yet) made their way into the castle.

"Rimutaka's huge!" Ron exclaimed, (in my description I neglected to mention that the castle was also twice as huge as Hogwarts itself.) "How're we supposed to find our way around?"  
  
"Well, you could always ask the ghosts for direction," Zeta suggested, "there's one ghost you want to avoid. He's got no sense of direction at all. He keeps getting lost. His name's Gilbert De Rye. He's great for entertainment when you're bored though."

"Are you sure this isn't cock and bull Zeta?" Harry asked narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"She is telling the truth this time," Faye told him reassuringly, "we do have many ghosts within the castle. One's chosen to haunt the old Transfiguration classroom on the fourth floor. We had to move the class it was so miserable."

All the time the group were making their way up the concrete bridge when they came to view the castle up close.

"Exchange students this way!" Called one of the Professors, she had auburn coloured hair and brown eyes; she was tall and had a look as though you didn't want to mess with her when she was pissed off. Harry guessed she was the Deputy Headmistress or close to, whether or not he could get his head around it was another matter.

The lot of them followed the Professor.

The hall quieted down as the Headmistress, a woman who looked as though she was in her thirties stood up. She had long black hair tied back in a ponytail, and deep brown eyes to match her skin colour. Harry, behind all the first years looked up at their Headmistress. She smiled.

"Let the Sorting begin. But before it does, let me warn you that we will have four exchange students from England being Sorted into one of our three houses each."

She sat down again, then the Sorting Hat (OCC: I couldn't think of anything else, I actually considered Sorting Socks like Jay suggested in her cock and bull story in the last chapter. I decided it was a bit far-fetched and unhygienic.) Began with a song just like the Hogwarts hat did.

_Years ago_

_When I was brand new_

_There were three founders_

_All anew_

_Each wanted one thing_

_So they created the school_

_All together as one_

_To train you all _

_For each of the different qualities_

_Each house owns _

_Cunning Kakariki, colour of the English green, _

_Set about his mission_

_Willing to teach_

_Those with great ambition_

_With only the purest of blood_

_To enter under his services_

_Yet his opposite Rata, with the colour red to her name, _

_Took those who were brave, bold and daring_

_With great loyalty to their name. _

_Last of the three was yellow Kowhai, _

_Who intended to make all things new,_

_With intelligence to rival all,_

_And loyalty she knew_

_So each made the school_

_And each began to teach_

_Now enjoying it all_

_And left it when they realised their time_

_And placed me to Sort you all. _

The whole school clapped loudly, but Harry frowned. There were some huge gaps in the song and huge information missing. Surely there was a fourth house? Maybe it was just hidden. Hogwarts Slytherin House may have survived after Slytherin himself had left them, but it was possible the same thing had happened here, though the house itself had been forgotten.

"Potter, Harry," the Professor they had heard outside called after Sorting Draco Malfoy into Kakariki.

Harry winded his way through the tables and up to the Sorting Hat. He sat down and let himself be sorted.

"_I see you've already been Sorted into Gryffindor. Not the house I would've chosen if I was my counterpart. You would be wise to be in Kakariki, but no. I sense great bravery and ambition, with loyalty tied in, you will be in _RATA!"

The last word was shouted out. Harry went to join Hermione and his new friends in the Rata house (thankfully Draco had been separated from Jay by this time) and then Ron was also sorted into Rata.

Finally the Headmistress stood up.

"For those of you who do not know me, I am Professor Renatta, and I'm going to be giving you the start of term notices before you head off to bed. It seems two of our students after our recent attacks have decided to upgrade our Security around the school. I believe they have put a Permanent Sticking Charm on the doors—but we've recently discovered that you can walk through them. These charms seemed to have been placed on all the classroom doors and on the common room doors too. Secondly, there has been a replacement in the Astronomy Tower, where there is now a glass Elevator. You press the _red _button to go up, and twice our staff pressed the _green _button which meant it takes us right down to the bottom floor and if you're not careful to the bottom of the mountain," Professor Renatta took a deep breath in her wave of explanations about changes in the school.

"I told you there was a glass Elevator!" Jay hissed down the table to the trio and her two friends.

"Next on our list we have recently found our Divination Tower which had been discovered in the middle of the Sahara Desert. The study of Divination can now continue to take place once again. Also, the stands for the Qudditch Pitch seems to be invisible, so we're trying to work out how to get them back to normal before the Qudditch season resumes at Christmas. You can still sit on the seats but you cannot see them. And finally we have a new Astronomy Professor known as Professor Robb, who seems to be delighted with the glass elevator as he cannot climb up stairs. Thank you for your time and patience, now you can go up to bed."

The trio and their new friends immediately left the hall and followed the paths Jay, Zeta and Faye took. Orian was ahead of them, singing some song or rather under his breath.

Exhausted they arrived at the Rata common room and all collapsed into their beds.

**AUTHORS NOTES: This was a long chapter and I just had to fit in all of the Headmistresses' speech. If anyone has been waiting a while for this chapter I apologise. I've just had a school formal, I danced heaps! Loved the songs, it was superb. Next chapter is the classes. Oh, and the teachers are based on real people. Mainly my teachers at school. Professor Robb is actually my Computer teacher . . . ssh! **


	4. Breakfast and a Howler

Down Under, Down Under

**We're moving right along now, it's currently the following day after the Sorting, during which, school usually begins and they receive their timetables. Making this hilarious will be a challenge. **

_Breakfast and a Howler_

Harry woke up on Monday morning confused as to how come he was awake. He had been having an excellent dream before; now he was puzzled as to why he was awake so early considering his alarm clock hadn't gone off and it was six o'clock in the morning—two hours before he needed to be awake. Suddenly he heard loud music, that sounded almost like a saxophone used for jazz music players—a type of music he was certain was used for muggles only. Then he heard a magnified voice singing "The man ran down the street ye-ah away from some strange pe-people in whi-ite."

That seemed to be the only lines in the song, so Harry rolled over and groaned loudly. He didn't have to be awake yet! Why was anyone bothering to be up at this hour of the morning? What would they gain from being up now?

The time passed slowly with no release from that awful music that was beginning to repeat over and over again in Harry's mind, and he heard Ron groaning next to him. Harry once again checked his clock. It was time to get up, sadly. He got dressed then headed down to the Great Hall where he met Hermione, Faye, Zeta and Jay—the awful music still playing in the background, and if Harry dared to think it, the music was starting to _skip_, it was beginning to lose words! Repetitively. So if what Harry thought was correct now, it was a tape-recorder playing all that time!

Harry sat down groggily at the Rata table; the other student's clearly showing signs of a lack of sleep. Which was when he noticed the Professors sitting up at the High Table, the men all dressed in hot pink dresses that showed their thighs, and the woman wearing clown suits, red clown suits with the red clown noses to match. Hermione's mouth fell open, she gaped.

"H-How could a-anyone d-do that to them?" Hermione shrieked, making the whole table look at her.

"I thought you were jinxing the Headmistresses quarters," Zeta hissed at Jay angrily.

"I thought you were! I knew we forgot something!" Jay whined.

"You two did it?" Hermione shrieked, while Harry and Ron smirked. The teachers, clearly used to this, started eating. The Headmistress ignoring the whole confrontation, obviously having given up on them.

Harry himself was too stunned to even protest at what the girls had done. Ron however, had taken a totally different light to this.

"Ooh Fred and George are going to love them!" Ron exclaimed, "Female pranksters!"

Meanwhile, Zeta and Jay were having an argument, a pathetic argument, about whose job it was to jinx the Headmistresses quarters so that she was dressed in a clown suit. The argument was soon interrupted by the arrival of a Howler. It was carried by Zeta's Owl that she had brought herself, but the Howler was obviously addressed to both of them.

Harry watched as Zeta removed the Howler from the Owl's leg.

"Good girl Moonshadow!" Zeta said stroking her owl, "why's it early?"

"You think they found out about the Qudditch Pitch?" Jay asked staring at it.

"Already? Nah, maybe it's about the Divination Tower," Zeta sighed.

"Or the glass elevator. . ."

"They've got no proof though," Zeta countered.

"Why didn't it come round Halloween?" Jay asked confused.

"Couldn't wait till Halloween I guess," Zeta replied.

"You two have done too many things so maybe your parents are trying to get the message across," Faye suggested.

"They can't know about what we did to the teachers," Zeta said dumbfounded.

"Nope, that's a regular occurrence," Faye told her.

"Wait, Howlers are normal for you two?" Harry asked astonished.

"Well, Zee's parents are muggles so they use Howler's because it's more effective than a letter. Besides, they expect her to do well considering they're Christians, so they use the Howler as I said before, through the help of Jay's parents who are pure-blood," Faye explained calmly.

"I had to struggle to get here in the first place," Zeta sighed, "considering magic's evil and all."

Then, without much warning, the Howler exploded having met the five-minute deadline to opening it. The six of them looked astonished at the mess it made on the table, spraying gunk everywhere, but the other students ignored it and continued with their breakfast.

They then received their time-tables.

"Excellent, we've got Defence Against the Dark Arts, Double Potions, Transfiguration and Healing today," Zeta exclaimed, "I put permanent locking charms on all of the doors so the lessons should be put on hold."  
  
"No remember you can walk straight through the doors!" Jay reminded her friend aghast, "Our spells always seem to have glitches. We'll have to fix that eventually."

"Oh goody . . . that's the last thing we need, more security," Faye grumbled following her friends, with the astonished trio off to Defence Against the Dark Arts.


End file.
